Alterac Valley Air Traffic Company (Century of Death)
The '''Alterac Valley Air Traffic Company '''or '''AVAT Company '''for short, was a goblin-run corporation which operated most of the flight routes and aircraft transportation on the Alterac Valley. It was a subsidiary to Runwheel Enterprises, which in turn owed devotion to the Bilgewater Cartel and the Trade Coalition. History By the end of the Second War, the Steamwheedle Cartel was an established ally to the Orcish Horde (trade prince Millow Steamwheedle openly boasted about his exclusive contract with Warchief Doomhammer). So was Lord Aiden Perenolde, King of Alterac, the weakest nation of the Alliance of Lordaeron, who turned to the Horde by providing intelligence, espionage, supplies and safe passage in exchange of non-agression and protection from retaliation. Mogul Fizzle Mechafuse, owner of Northern Continent Building Company (NCBC) sent a detachment of his men lead by chief trader Ruble Lightspark to build a network of towers equipped to support portuary facilities for aircrafts which were meant to provide supply and transport to the orcs. The works were completed but never came to be used, as Alterac was occupied by allied forces just two weeks after they were finished. Slaves were freed, zeppelins were unarmed and the towers were never employed for their original prupose of logistic support. The military airlift facilities were worthless to the occupational authorities. They were placed under the Lordaeronian Commissioned Zone (LMC) or White Occupation Zone (WOZ), the former alteracian territory run by a lordaeronian commissioner and occupied by lordaeronian forces. On the early 9 ADP, the Joint Commission of Occupation (JCO) announced they were selling the towers, equipment and zeppelins included. Mogul Weezley Runwheel, CEO of Runwheel Enterprises, became aware of this and decided to push in the auction, which took place on Myrnolde Keep. He would gain a great reputation with trade prince Maldy Bilgewater, whose cartel had been rival to the Steamwheedles for centuries. Runwheel paid 7.000.000 valleycoins for all the towers, which were sold under the name of Alterac Flight Network (AFN). The nogul organized the AFN under a new Company who would be run by a manager baron. Employees and their families and slaves were settled on a piece of mountain land bought from the government to function as an trade outpost and an enclave. This was called Plunderwatch Camp, and in turn provided housing and recreation to more than 5.000 personnel. The company became influential and powerful, surviving the numerous orcish rebellions on Alterac by taking adventadge of their neutrality (they would offer their services equally to both factions). During the early stages of the Third War, Runwheel intructed his manager, Buzzo Needlespark to organize the slaves and employees into militias and prepare for defense. When occupational authorities faded following the withdrawal of the Kirin Tor to mainland Dalaran and the anarchy on Lordaeron after the fall of King Terenas, Needlespark provided some form of cohesion to the nearby settlements. The Plunderwatch Camp was self-elevated to the rank of ville, its population increased by 12.000. Refugees and men-at-arms came to seek protection. Needlespark survived the war succesfully, even launching some attacks on troublesome Scourge bases and fortifying his holdings. He retired on 22 ADP to become a mogul of his own franchise. Needlespark Town was a colony founded after him by his successor. Later faction of the Civil War on the Plaguelands and even the Syndicate agreed to leave the company alone as long as they kept their neutrality. On late 23 ADP, dalaranian agents translated a flying rock called the Floating Island to the skies of Alterac Valley. Fearing impositions of tolls and regulations, manager Druzo Nizzlebog led a blockade on the island, which eventually led to the forces of Archmage Dorin Copperbolt withdrawing from it. He started building a new settlement on the floating isle but agents of Kirin Tor Intelligence took it down, transforming it into the Dalaran Rock. By 24 ADP, in retaliation for the Floating Island incident, the ruler of Dalaran, archmage Ansirem Runeweaver convinced the Lordaeron Remnant and Stromgarde to sign a treaty nullifying the JCO's sale of the Alterac Flight Network. It barely had any international recognition, but gave the three governments a legal basis for forbidding their citizens to employ the AVAT's services. After almost a year of lobbying, the dalarani got king Varian of Stormwind to sign the Alterac Aerial Embargo Act, which not only extended the prohibition to the entire population of Stormwind, but also served to practically isolate AVAT economically, cutting it from most Alliance suppliers and customers. On the verge of trade war with the Alliance and every time closer to the Horder, AVAT was weak on neutrality and quickly lost its capital value in the goblin markets. Old time AVAT manager Druzo Nizzlebog betayed the Bilgewater Cartel to their Steamwheedle competitors and was hired by mogul Ziro Gotfrey to found the Nizzlebog Air Franchise. NAF was quick at taking AVAT out of business, firstly purchasing a single tower and taking the company to merger in less than a year. But Runeweaver was still resentful to Nizzlebog personally and would not take down the embargo. On his request and with the Bank of Dalaran's financial assistance, baron Foxley Revilgaz, a true proponent of Steamwheedle neutrality, convinced mogul Gotfrey to enslave Nizzlebog on his kaja'mite refineries as a threat to the Cartel's neutrality. The AVAT was dissolved, but the holdings and facilities at Needlespark Town and Plunderwatch Ville are still held by Revilgaz's associates. The only other remaining zeppelin tower is located near Damaris Keep and is run by Damaris Holding Incorporated.